Back Against the Wall

thanks, No i didn't know he was going to give me a ride back or else I would have told him from the beginning that I wasn't interested lol but its just a learning experience I now put everything up front when im contacting agents so theres no more wasting time

Thanks for the advice I never thought about that, hopefully it'll bring me some deals

Yes I have talked to some people and they told me it was legal. I have no idea why so many agents think this is illegal

I put in a request for a agent on homegain.com yesterday and 4 agents have sent me proposals. I emailed them all back telling them everything I was planning to do. One has responded back by telling me he's familiar with the technique of assignments but most of the homes at large discounts are owned by the banks and its hard to get the banks and other sellers to agree to let their homes be assigned so he doesn't think it would be cost effective for him to work with me.

So thats another agent down and a million more to go. Every agent that tells me that they won't work with me just gives me more motivation to work harder just to prove that it does work. I'll put sitting at the top watching them fight for commission when I could have brought them more business then all of their other clients put together. The agent that decides to take a chance with me will be REWARDED.......

Ok so my search for a good agent continues today I heard something I never heard before....

So another one of the agents from Homegain.com contacted me and she said she would be more than happy to work with me and then she said this,

"...However, I do require an investor deposit up front that is non-refundable and is credited back to you at closing prior to beginning the process. It is a ton of work to make good investments and multiple offers and I must be compensated. If you are truly going to purchase it will not matter because you will get it back..."

Is she serious?!! I have never heard of a investor deposit and one of the coaches at the Success Academy wasn't to excited about the idea either. So I told her that with all due respect I wouldn't be willing to pay it and that I have had bad experiences with agents but I never let the past effect the present. I told her the only way to get rewarded in life is by taking a chance and I gave her my word as a man that I was serious and if that wasn't enough then I would look elsewhere.

But on a brighter note I googled some brokers and made some calls and a lady called me back and told me her time wasn't flexible but she could match me up with one of her agents. So I'm waiting to hear from him and hopefully I can finally start inspecting some homes, putting in offers, locking them up and making some $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ !!!!!

the final decision on anything related to RE regarding the state they are licensed in is done by the broker

When you said the agent said;

most of the homes at large discounts are owned by the banks and its hard to get the banks and other sellers to agree to let their homes be assigned so he doesn't think it would be cost effective for him to work with me

it is very true. If the broker doesn't agree to it or feel that you(the assigner) is not really the buyer and you could hold up the sale of the house to a direct or cash buyers, you have to understand their POV.

Also, an investor deposit is the same as a putting down earnest money on contract; if you don't come through with the financing and the house does not close at the time of the agreement of contract, you lose your deposit. Its actually used so that the agent is not wasting their time and if you truly believe you can buy or find a buyer, then it shouldn't be an issue to do.

I understand you're frustrated with agents and if you want to use that as a motivation, but you're new to this; I strongly suggest you think with your head and not emotions.

Best of luck in the future

So my search for a agent continues...

So I have been in touch with more agents and I met a realtor named Travis. Travis said that he use to invest himself so I figured he would see things from my point of view. He told me that the assignment of contract is illegal but there are ways around it and he would be willing to help me. He told me that what I could do was start a LLC and purchase the property under my companies name and then have my end buyer buy a percentage of the company. It was a little confusing but I kind of understood what he was talking about. Before when I first spoke with Travis on the phone he told me that properties were assignable if I was the end buyer and that's when I decided the double close technique might work. When I asked him about it he told me that I could double close but I would have to pay 2 realtor fees or something of the sort. I figured I just need one deal to really get my business going because from the money from my first deal I could buy a vehicle, business cards, flyers, join a club etc. So whatever can get me a deal I'll do for the time being. I have private funds that will give me money to purchase homes but only if I'm double closing on them so this was the plan. When I went to go visit him today he then told me double closing was illegal in North Carolina and that's when he told me about the LLC option. He was under the impression that I was going to fix the properties up and then sell them and when I told him what I was trying to do he told me that investors had access to the MLS and the properties that I'm looking for aren't the ones that are listed. So I was very disappointed again because on the phone Travis was speaking like he understood me but really he had no idea at all.

But what I was gather about 20 title companies and real estate attorneys and I plan on calling them tomorrow and ask them could they do a double closing because I really don't think its illegal. If they are legal I'm just going to tell the next realtor I speak to all they need to do is put in offers and show up to closing because I already have homes sent to me from the MLS from 3 agents. This is just a obstacle that I must overcome and when I do I know the rewards will be great. Most people quit before they even get started but its either get through it or continue to be broke and I HATE being broke !

From my quest for looking for a agent I spoke with two more realtors.

The first guys name was Chip. Chip told me he been in the business for 30 years and he previously had a job with the bank dealing with real estate but I forget exactly what his position was. I told Chip everything that I was trying to do and he said that he would be willing to help me. I told him that I would be using private funds and he kept asking me for a agreement that I had with my lender and since I dont have any type of agreement I sent him to their website. Everything was going well, he told me that he would give me a call back later that day and that was two days ago, so you know what I did? crossed him off my list! Im a man of my word, if I say Im going to do something no matter how much I dont want to do it I will. So my first impression with this realtor is he is unreliable. If you cant trust a persons word what do you have?

Moving on I also contacted another broker named Gary. After I asked Gary if he worked with investors and he said yes, I asked him if he was familiar with wholesaling and assignments. Not only was he familiar he had actually completed some !! I told him that every realtor I spoke with told me that charging a assignment fee was illegal and he told me that they just didn't understand the process and they think that your getting paid a commission when your really not. The bad part is he told me that a agent really didn't have a place in a assignment deal and that the homes on MLS weren't the homes that I should be looking at. We had a long conversation and I actually learned a couple of things from him. He told me while wholesaling was easy that I needed guidance because I might get manipulated by other savvy investors. Little did he know that I had the success academy and you guys!! But I let him go on and he told me that he wouldn't be willing to work with me on this because if he found the types of homes I was looking for he would purchase them himself and make 10 or 12k instead of calling me and making 5 or 6k. He was honest about everything and he very helpful he wasnt trying to sound like a jerk at all. He told me the first thing I should do before investing though was to buy a home myself to learn what a real estate transaction was about and what it meant to own a home. He told me I should stay in the home for a year and instead of selling rent it out and repeat the process over and over. He told me when I was ready to buy a home he could help me get into one and I thanked him for his help. I was relieved to hear that assignments were perfectly legal after EVERY SINGLE realtor told me is wasnt!

The news was good but I was still in a position without a agent. I wasnt going to wait around for Chip to contact me back. A couple days ago I also called a law firm and they told me that they handled double closings so I went back to the best agent I worked with so far.... Derrick. I told him that I didn't have the money to get my real estate license and I was still trying to assign homes. I told him I found a title company that handles double closings and that I have funds for double closings so money wouldn't be a issue. I went on saying that the first deal will be difficult but once I get my system in place things will get easier and soon I will have the deals coming to me. I would even let him close on some of these to compensate him for his time. He told me he would be glad to help me. So I got the funds, the agent, the title company, the buyers next are the homes !! I'm going to drown myself in the MLS this weekend searching for deals and my goal is to submit at least 50 offers next week. If I only get 1 out of 50 thats a good deal I'll be more than happy.

Do you have 150 buyers, 3 for each house because normally it takes about three chances to find the buyers for a particular house

I would actually try and find the house on your own instead of going thru MLS entirely. Canvassing the area looking for 'For Sale' or 'For Rent' signs that are not from RE agents is best

Strongly assume most investors have looked at the MLS as well and have alerts on newer homes that post

Personally you're spending alot of time looking for a realtor when you could do this yourself. Patience and plan and you'll be fine

Hello Hines. Are you in NC. If so what part? I live in Asheboro which is 20 min away from Greensboro. I can tell you that you've been lied to by your realtors. Although I haven't done my first deal yet I have done offers on Reo's and run down houses and I can tell you that assignments are legal here. I actually had to walk away from one two months ago due to title problems and Reo's technically can't be assigned but there are ways around that without having to do double closings. To give you an example I have about 7 bids on reo's three of those I've recieved counter offers 1 rejected and still waiting on the rest. You have to word the contract right inorder to do this and have an agent that works with investors. That should be your first question you ask to agents is "Do you work with investors?" and "Are you willing to put in low offers?" If they say no to either one "WALK AWAY" and don't waste your time. I had to go thru two agents to finally find one that was really willing to work with me. Also tell them about the earnest money that you will it to them once the offer is accepted and not before. I've found a great agent who I'm working with and everytime I put in bids I don't give him no earnest money and when I'm interested in a house he gives me the whole story on it like how long it's been on the market, tax value, the mortgage history the house has had etc. Keep looking and hopefully I just gave you some helpful tips. PM if you like. You never know, if you do live near here maybe we can meet someday and I'll tell you about my experiences.

No I don't have 150 buyers but I know that most of the offers will get rejected so out of 50 I figure I will be able to get at least one good one. Even if I do get more locked up if its a good deal I'm sure I will be able to find a end buyer.
I also would do more stuff on my own but I don't have a vehicle so it's not like I can drive through neighbors so I kind of need a agent right now but once I'm able to get a deal done I'll buy a car and begin all of my marketing.

For every day and hour you search for an agent, a house is being lost or someone else has their attention. Also understand not every agent is going to drive you around. If they are, more power to them, but I don't that being the norm more than once.

Do you have friends you can give gas money to for an hours time to help you out??? I think that you should try and refine your methods and make your efforts more useful than just presenting offers and hoping one catches.

Hope things work out for you

I progress is good. I like your drive and I'm very inspired to move on in my quest to be a Successful REI in Oklahoma and then move on to other states.

If you can go for it with no car then I really have no excuse...except for me.

Quick question: have you told your mom about the success academy yet? You should never keep anything from your mom....she is most likely your biggest fan. Most parents in there generation don't even understand the mind set of what we dream of doing b/c times were so different in their times. But give her a chance, she may surprise you.

So are you suggesting I drive around and look for properties instead?

No I haven't told my mother, I don't think she'll be happy knowing that I joined a the "success academy" after watching a informercial on t.v ... I could be wrong but I would rather tell her after I get at least one deal done.

Take a pen and a pad, drive through nabes or areas where you think there might be vacant or for sale or for rent homes, write down addresses, #'s, etc.

Don't knock on doors unless you've spoken to them first; personally I think its rude and imposing, but thats me.

From experience only, most agents will provide you with a 'courtesy' drive once, maybe twice, but never on a regular. That alone might make me think you're not serious if you expect it and,......"you want to buy a house but have no car???" Not that they are intertwined, but it does raise a flag.

Do it yourself. If an agent comes along, fine, but in the meantime try and attempt as much as you can on your own

I just realized that some people are stuck in their ways and will always remain that way....

After sending Derrick several emails about homes I wanted to make offers on and clauses that I wanted to add in the offer, I hadn't heard from him in a couple days which never happened before so I decided to give him a call.

I asked him had he gotten my emails and he told me that he was just checking his email now. I told him I was ready to make offers and he asked me if I had everything in order... buyers, earnest money etc. I told him that I did not have earnest money but after speaking with a coach from the academy they told that some people have wrote promissory notes promising to pay the money upon closing. When I told him I wanted to try writing a promissory note he told me that it wouldn't be possible because earnest money is part of the deal and the deal would automatically be rejected if it wasn't provided.

When I told him that I emailed him the clauses I would like to add to the contract he told me I would have to write them myself because if he wrote them he would be acting as a lawyer and that was illegal.

When I told him I may be able to get the earnest money ( I just told him this I don't really have a way of getting it) he told me that I should just use that money to get my real estate license. He said " I know you want to start making money quickly but if it was easy everyone would do it." Then he told me a few years ago some one could buy a home and then two months later it would be worth $10,000 more but with the current market you can't do it anymore.

That conversation was all I needed to hear. Derrick is too stuck in his ways and he doesn't think outside the box. All I wanted him to do was submit offers but I came to the conclusion that we just aren't compatible.

Wow talk about stuck in a box....poor Dereck can't see past his current word and you are right to be done.

I do agree with Elix B driving specific areas is a great idea. In my past 3 jobs I drove for a leaving and I would drive specific areas that I thought would be a great place to own properties b/c my orginal focus is rental...I still want that but, I have to start with some wholesaling and assigning to get the cash flow moving. It may hit your pocket at first but, it will pay off in the long run.

I still don't agree with you keeping it from your mom, what I learned as a adult-child you have to show people how to treat you and the part of you that joined the program and continues to push for more....she has to learn how to love and understand that person too. Good luck.

I love reading your post..You are one of my bookmarks.

Michael dream all you want...hold onto your vision for it will drive you on the path to success and NEVER let anyone tell you to stop. When we listen to others who have never been on the path, we begin to change our core beliefs and internalize what others tell us to do; quit, give-up, die inside. Change is a constant and to do so is scary but it must be done to move forward. Therefore we must change our core beliefs to change who we are and what we hold to be important in life and our dreams. To refuse would be unethical and immoral, not to mention emotionally upsetting. My college tuition is huge, a private five college for aerospace engineering and my stress is so deep it placed me in a doctors care. Dream Michael! Dare Yourself to step outside and do what others tell you is a waste of time! Empire? Yes!, Friends and Family? Yes! Focus like a laser beam and steer a stead fast course into real estate investing all the while asking questions and gaining support.

Bill G.

Thanks for the encouragement

So we all know most of the time something good happens something bad follows and vice versa... So what do you want first the bad news or the good news???

Well the good news is I found another realtor ! I told her everything I was planning to do from submitting low offers to not having earnest money. She said she understood and would be willing to help me. But she told me that the earnest money was needed in order to submit the offer and it is usually around $1000. I called the success academy and they told me there is pretty much no way around this when dealing with banks.

Thats where the bad news comes in, I don't have $1,000 and don't know where I could get it from. It would be one thing to present a deal to some one and say I need 1,000 to make this work but I don't even have a deal, I need the money to submit offers. So I don't know what I'm going to do....

I began looking on some FSBO sites to look for homes because theres more freedom to negotiate things such as earnest money because there is no third party involved. After looking through over 100 homes I found 2 so I called them today. The first guy was a wholesaler doing exactly what I'm trying to do and the home he had posted was under contract and he was trying to double close. The second one was a person who said they were moving but when I called they told me they were not moving for another year and they were trying to sell to a occupant not a investor.

So now I have to brainstorm and try to figure out what my next move will be........

1. "Well I have a one family on Main St by the hardware store. Its an up coming area that...."
His reply: No thanks

or

2. " Well I have a one family on Main St by the hardware store. Its in an up and coming area that has alot of artists moving in and you can also put section 8 tenants in as well. I also have a one family on Commonwealth near the methodist church which you know is a very well to do neighborhood. They've been hit with some foreclosures in the area and in due time you'll get back the value but now is the time to buy....."

Pitch your abilities to know what they want.....even if they know what they want but that you also know how it can benefit them in ways they probably didn't think of.

If upfront money is an issue pitch splitting the deal 50/50 with them getting back any upfront costs they incurred. If it makes sense, they'll do it no problem

People like options; 9 out of 10 he would have found a reason not to buy, but if you showed him more, your chances increase. Stack your deals up, then go after buyers.

I GA-RON-TEE buyers will come out of the woodwork. Have a bunch at your disposal to show you know what you're doing.

Good luck

Finding deals is something I'm trying to do my MLS strategy is gone because I don't have the earnest money to make offers and most of the FSBO that I have seen and contacted have not had motivated sellers. So I know I'll get buyers if I find the deals but finding the deals is easier said then done.

MLS not an option, do like I said canvass on your own and find homes for sale or for rent

Don't have the earnest money, borrow it or bring someone in on a deal for a house you intend to sell. Offer them their earnest loan but 25% once you sell.

Keep searching for FSBO's and eventually you'll find a motivated seller

And yes it is easier said than done. Thats why you have to just do it and later tell us about it.

I'm out. 'Law & Order' in 15 minutes.

Mr. Hines you are acting like a race horse and only look at what is right in front of you, you need to have a brainstorming session and let your mind wonder outside of the box. As Dean would say "think a little different".

You can do it, and once you do, you will be so surprised at what you come out with.

Go for it I dare you.

Still unable to get the earnest money for the bank homes. Been searching FSBO homes for the past 3 or 4 days and contacting owners and still not able to find any motivated sellers. I'm a little burned out, its just I want to do a deal SO BAD. On top of that summer classes end in 2 weeks so I'm not going to be able to stay in NC for the rest of the summer because they told me I used all my financial aid money for the year. So looks like my real estate plans will have to get put on hold until I get back in August.....

You're making alot of excuses and dying to make a deal when you barely know anything is the kiss of death. I thought you was cut out for this but it seems like you're not if you feel you can't invest out of state in a state or area you know about.

I hope i'm wrong about you.

I talked to my mother today and she was excited to hear about my real estate plans. I told her about the bank issue and she said she was going to do everything in her power to help me get the money so I could submit offers. We were thinking of family members who we could ask for the money and couldnt think of anyone she said "Im tired of being poor we need somebody in our family with money...." This along with reading a post about a young lady completing her first deal, along with Elix's comments has gotten me back on my game. I was a little frustrated earlier but its part of the game, only the strong survive. I said in the beginning failure isn't a option and I'm a man of my word.

So I've devised a action plan where I plan to contact 25 FSBO's and 5 landlords per day. Also I plan on placing daily adds on the free classified websites until I find a home....

I'm so very proud you decided to tell your mom and look at that she was the answer.....I know that takes alot of pressure off of you and allows you to be free in your thoughts.

And I agree wtih Elix you were ready to throw in the towel or put it on pause way to quick either you want this thing or you don't.....full speed ahead.

Thanks for getting back in the game...you inspired me along the way. I got to stop making excuses and get to moving.

Mr, Hines i am a beginner at this so could you give me and advice on how to get buyers i have found a motivated seller who needs to sell his home quickly the fms is 175,389-205,892 and his asking price is 115,000 i really want to lock it up under contract. But I am at a loss of how to make that happen I have an agent helping me but i want to at least figue this out on my own. I would appreceiate any advice you have to offer.

Thanks in advance
Flo